• 中央ちゅうおう — center / central
• 震央しんおう — epicenter (of an earthquake)
• 中央銀行ちゅうおうぎんこう — Central Bank
• 中央線ちゅうおうせん — Chuo train line (Tokyo)

The character 央 originally depicted a person with arms and legs extended, enclosed in a box — indicating the “middle” or “center” of an area. It often appears in compound words involving central positions or core concepts, such as 中央 (central), or 震央 (epicenter).